Santa Cruz la Laguna is a small Mayan community located on the shores of Lake Atitlan in the Central highlands of Guatemala. It is comprised of three villages and three small “aldeas” located in the mountains above the lake,
with a total population of 5,000. The village of Santa Cruz la Laguna is unique in that it is the only village in this area the is accessible only by foot or by boat. There is no road access to or from the village due to its dramatic location surrounded by jagged mountains. Lack of accessibility to the outside world has greatly limited the progress of this community of 2,000. With no roads, no telephone system, no commercial center, villagers must travel by boat to shop, or to access resources of any kind.
